US Dow eyes PE flexible packaging to gain market share

Focus article by Al Greenwood

SAO PAULO (ICIS)–US-based Dow Chemical had developed a number of flexible packages made almost entirely of polyethylene (PE), with the goal of gaining market share from rigid packaging and other products made of multiple resins, executives said.

The strategy marks a change for Dow, said Charly Eid Nader, Latin American marketing manager for food and specialty packaging. He made his comments on the sidelines of the Feiplastic trade show.

In addition of supplying PE resin to customers, Dow is now developing applications with them, Eid Nader said. These were apparent in the numerous new flexible packages that Dow had on display at Feiplastic.

Some marked the first time that PE had been used in such an application.

Dow’s flexible packaging provides its customers with a number of benefits, said Fabian Gil, Latin America commercial vice president for Dow Performance Plastics.

All of the products are recyclable. This is an important trait in packaging because consumers increasingly want their products to be sustainable, Gil said. Consequently, companies that make consumer products want recyclable packaging.

The sustainability of Dow’s packaging goes beyond recycling. Because it is flexible, the packaging can take the shape of the product it is storing. As a result, the packaging wastes little space.

By contrast, rigid packaging does not take the shape of the product it is storing, Gil said. As a result, the packaging requires more material, costing customers more money.

In addition, rigid packaging stores a lot of air as well as product. This takes up space, which increases storage and transportation costs.

Flexible packaging is sustainable in one other key aspect. It decreases content waste, Gil said.

As an example, Gil pointed to a bottle of ketchup.

Because it is so difficult to remove all of the ketchup from a bottle, people often throw away the package when there is still a lot of ketchup inside.

Up to 10% of a product is thrown away with the package because consumers cannot get the food out of the container, Gil said. This leads to a lot of waste.

With flexible packaging, the ketchup can be squeezed out, eliminating waste, he said.

In the past, PE had limited use in flexible packaging because the resin could not provide all of the needed characteristics. As a result, PE was combined with other resins to produce the packaging.

Because of the multiple resins, the packaging was not easily recyclable.

Dow has since developed PE that overcomes the limitations of the resin. As a result, it has developed flexible packaging made up almost entirely of PE.

One example is PHORMANTO, a combination of PE resins that can be thermoformed to produce flexible packaging for food, Eid Nader said.

The thermoforming process uses a vacuum to stretch a film of resin into its desired shape.

In the past, a combination of other resins such as polyamide, polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was used because PE could not be thermoformed, Eid Nader said.

Not anymore. Dow’s PHORMANTO can be thermoformed, Eid Nader said. Because just one type of resin is used, PHORMANTO costs less.

In addition, it can be recycled, Eid Nader said. PHORMANTO maintains its recyclability even if ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) is added to provide an oxygen barrier. The amount of EVOH added is not large enough to prevent recycling.

Another product introduced by Dow is DIAMANTO. In the past, PE packaging could be either clear or stiff, Eid Nader said. It could not be both.

As a result, customers used packaging made of biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP), since it provided both of these qualities, he said.

The problem with BOPP packaging is that the seal is not very strong, Eid Nader said. While this is sometimes desirable if the package needs to be opened easily, this trait could be a disadvantage for products that need to maintain their seal during shipping.

As an example, Eid Nader pointed to rice. A package of rice needs to maintain its seal during shipping so the grains do not slip out.

DIAMANTO can maintain that seal while still providing both the clarity and stiffness of BOPP, he said.

DIAMANTO has one other special feature. It is the first PE that can be metallised efficiently, Eid Nader said. In the past, PP had this property, so it was used in metallised packaging, such as the type used for chips and other snacks. 

Dow has developed another product, called AFFINITY, which can maintain a seal for packaging containing all sorts of products, Eid Nader said.

This can be difficult for oils, since these can easily contaminate and weaken the seal, Eid Nader said. As a result, oils are often stored in rigid packages like bottles.

Dow’s AFFINITY will allow companies to start selling oil in flexible packages, Eid Nader said.

PacXpert is another product that can store up to 20 litres of material, Eid Nader said. In the past, companies needed to use rigid packaging to store such large volumes.

PacXpert has several advantages. It is recyclable, it uses less material, and unlike rigid packaging, empty containers can be collapsed, Eid Nader said.

As a result, PacXpert can be stored flat, saving both transportation and storage costs, he said.

Another Dow product, PE SUP, is used to make stand-up pouches, he said.

Stand-up pouches allow companies to display their goods on shelves in a way that shoppers can see the label and brand of the product.

In the past, these pouches were made of a combination of PET and PE, Eid Nader said. PE SUP is made of PE, allowing it to be recycled.

In the past, Dow’s PE SUP was used for solids, he said. At Feiplastic, Dow is debuting a PE SUP product that can be used for liquids.

Feiplastic runs through Friday.